Scientific Journal PACIFIC OCEANOGRAPHY Volume 2, Number 1-2 2004 FAR EASTERN REGIONAL HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE Russian Federal Service For Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring (ROSHYDROMET) http://po.hydromet.com Editor-in-Chief Dr. Yuriy N. Volkov FERHRI, Vladivostok, Russia / Email: [email protected] Editor Dr. Igor E. Kochergin FERHRI, Vladivostok, Russia / Email: [email protected] Editor Dr. Mikhail A. Danchenkov FERHRI, Vladivostok, Russia / Email: [email protected] Executive Secretary Ms. Elena S. Borozdinova FERHRI, Vladivostok, Russia / Email: [email protected] Editorial Board D.G. Aubrey (Woods Hole Group, Falmouth, USA) J.E. O’Reilly (Exxon/Mobil, Houston, USA) T.A. Belan (FERHRI, Vladivostok, Russia) Y.D. Resnyansky (Hydrometcenter of RF, Moscow, Russia) I.M. Belkin (GSO, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett, USA) S.C. Riser (University of Washington, Seattle, USA) G.H. Hong (KORDI, Ansan, Republic of Korea) G.V. Shevchenko (SakhNIRO, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russia) E.V. Karasev (FERHRI, Vladivostok, Russia) M. Takematsu (RIAM, Kyushu University (retired), Fukuoka, Japan) K. Kim (Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea) A.V. Tkalin (FERHRI, Vladivostok, Russia) V.B. Lobanov (POI FEBRAS, Vladivostok, Russia) S.M. Varlamov (RIAM, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan) Yu.A. Mikishin (FESU, Vladivostok, Russia) J.H. Yoon (RIAM, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan) A.B. Rabinovich (Institute of Oceanology RAS, Moscow, Russia) Secretariat contact: Elena Borozdinova, Pacific Oceanography, FERHRI, 24, Fontannaya Street, Vladivostok 690990, Russia Email: [email protected] Home page: http://po.hydromet.com Tel: +7 (4232) 267352 Fax: +7 (4232) 269281 “Pacific Oceanography” registered with the Russian Ministry of Mass Media, Reg. No. 77–12296, 2 April 2002 PUBLISHED BY: Far Eastern Regional Hydrometeorological Research Institute (FERHRI), 24, Fontannaya Street, Vladivostok 690990, Russia Email: [email protected] Home page: http://www.hydromet.com PRINTED AND BOUND IN: Dalnauka Press, Far Eastern Branch of Russian Academy of Science, 7, Radio Street, Vladivostok 690041, Russia (Order no. 139, Print run 240, Rel. sheets 18,25) ISSN 1728-3809 © FERHRI, 2003–2004 TABLE OF CONTENTS 5 FROM THE EDITORS PAPERS Physical Oceanography 6 SURFACE THERMAL FRONTS OF THE OKHOTSK SEA I.M. Belkin, P.C. Cornillon 20 SPATIAL STRUCTURE OF THE TARTAR STRAIT WATERS M.A. Danchenkov 44 MODELING OF THE RYUKYU CURRENT ALONG THE PACIFIC SIDE OF THE RYUKYU ISLANDS S.H. You, J.H. Yoon Marine Meteorology 52 RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE NORTH ATLANTIC OSCILLATION, EURO-ASIAN CLIMATE ANOMALIES AND PACIFIC VARIABILITY A.B Polonsky, D.V. Basharin, E.N. Voskresenskaya, S.J. Worley, A.V. Yurovsky 67 CLIMATIC TRENDS IN GENERAL ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATION IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY O.V. Sokolov, L.I. Mezentseva 74 CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE NORTHERN ASIA IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY N.I. Savelieva, I.P. Semiletov, G.E. Weller, L.N. Vasilevskaya, V.I. Yusupov 85 INTERANNUAL VARIABILITY OF TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION ANOMALIES OVER THE EASTERN RUSSIA AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO TELECONNECTION INDICES V.V. Krokhin 95 IS THE EARTH’S GLOBAL TEMPERATURE CHANGING? Yu.V. Kazantsev Marine Environment 99 DISTRIBUTION OF BENTHOS IN CHAYVO BAY (NORTHEASTERN SAKHALIN ISLAND) E.M. Latkovskaya, T.A. Belan, O.N. Berezova 109 SOURCES OF CHEMICAL ELEMENTS IN THE AIR OVER VLADIVOSTOK V.F. Mishukov, A.N. Medvedev, A.S. Neroda PACIFIC OCEANOGRAPHY, Vol. 2, No. 1-2, 2004 TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 Applied Oceanography 117 SEASONAL AND TIDAL VARIATIONS OF THE SEA LEVEL BETWEEN HOKKAIDO AND SAKHALIN ISLANDS BASED ON SATELLITE ALTIMETRY AND COASTAL TIDE GAUGE DATA A.A. Romanov, O.S. Sedaeva, G.V. Shevchenko 126 OIL SPILL SIMULATION BASED ON “VOS” MODELS I.E. Kochergin, A.A. Bogdanovsky INFORMATION FERHRI News 135 DEVELOPMENT OF THE FAR EASTERN REGIONAL COMPONENT OF THE UNIFIED SYSTEM OF INFORMATION ON THE WORLD OCEAN N.A. Rykov 138 FERHRI PARTICIPATION IN SAKHALIN 1 PROJECT, PHASE I I.E. Kochergin, V.F. Putov, M.R. Khabibullov 141 RESULTS OF RECENT FERHRI’S RESEARCH CRUISES E.V. Karasev History 143 ESTABLISHMENT OF THE MARINE OBSERVATORY IN VLADIVOSTOK IN 1913 L.V. Kobylinsky 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS PACIFIC OCEANOGRAPHY, Vol. 2, No. 1-2, 2004 FROM THE EDITORS Dear colleagues, The coupled issue publishes papers and short information within traditional journal sections and FERHRI continues publishing its scientific journal rubrics. Three papers are devoted to physical “Pacific Oceanography”. Editorial Board made some oceanography of the Western Pacific marginal seas. corrections based on experience of the 2003 two first “Marine Meteorology” section publishes five papers issues. Publication schedule has changed. Final that will surely be interesting for the climate makeup and printing of two issues a year are going to specialists. Four papers describe climatic changes in take place now in March–April and September– the Ocean-Atmosphere system. The fifth paper October. Experience of the first two issues has shown dwells on the question of physical preconditions of these are the most creative and fruitful months for the the climatic changes and might cause hot discussions. Russian scientists, at least. Besides, the spring “Marine Environment” and “Applied Oceanography” publication might be timed to the beginning of the sections publish two papers each and are devoted to summer research cruise season and topical the regional researches with interesting results. conferences, whereas the autumn issue might be dated for the cruise season completion and North Editors express their sincere gratitude to both the Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES) annual authors, who had submitted their papers to the meetings. The present issue is the coupled one for coupled 2004 issue, and all other people, who had 2004 and published according to the new schedule. contributed to the issue publication. Editors also thank reviewers for improving the quality of papers Authors and co-authors from the Russian Federation, in the issue. We hope for further cooperation to USA, Japan, Republic of Korea, and Mexico improve the journal quality by joint efforts. submitted their papers and short scientific reports to the first two issues in 2003. The present issue has attracted new authors and co-authors from Ukraine, Editors of “Pacific Oceanography” Canada, and Australia, although majority of papers are still submitted by the Russian scientists. PACIFIC OCEANOGRAPHY, Vol. 2, No. 1-2, 2004 FROM THE EDI TORS 5 SURFACE THERMAL FRONTS OF THE OKHOTSK SEA I.M. Belkin, P.C. Cornillon Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, USA Email: [email protected] The Pathfinder AVHRR sea surface temperature (SST) data from 1985–1996 were processed with the Cayula-Cornillon edge detection and declouding algorithms. The following 11 fronts were distinguished: West Kamchatka, TINRO Basin, North and South Shelikhov Bay, North, West, Shantar, East Sakhalin, Central, Kashevarov Bank and Soya fronts. The large-scale pattern of these fronts is consistent with the dominant cyclonic circulation of the Okhotsk Sea. The West Front, TINRO Basin Front, Central Front and Shelikhov Bay Fronts have not been identified before. The West Kamchatka and TINRO Basin fronts form a double front observed in winter only. The North Front continues farther west than it was known, up to 146°E, where it likely connects to the West Front, which often joins the Shantar Front. The latter extends from Shantar Islands to Sakhalin Bay where the Amur River Plume interrupts a nearly continuous line of fronts around the northern and western Okhotsk Sea. The Amur discharge feeds the East Sakhalin Front that follows the shelf break, branches eastward at 48°N and 46°N, and eventually merges with Soya Front, which exits the sea via Vries Strait. The 48°N branch of the East Sakhalin Front seems to join the Central Front, which in turn merges with the TINRO Basin Front, thus forming the southern limb of the sea-wide frontal pattern. The Kashevarov Bank Front likely consists of three separate fronts around the namesake bank, St. Iona Island and Iona Bank. Fronts are seasonally persistent: they emerge and disappear in certain seasons in the same locations. Dominant frontogenetic mechanisms in the Okhotsk Sea are tidal mixing, water mass formation and advection, river discharge, and wind upwelling. Most fronts are generated owing to tidal mixing. Front genesis in the marginal ice zone and around polynyas is likely important; although these processes have not yet been investigated by in situ measurements. INTRODUCTION (Martin et al., 1998; Martin et al., 2003) and hence could contribute to front genesis. Ocean fronts are sharp boundaries between different water masses and different types of vertical structure DATA AND METHOD (stratification) that are usually accompanied by enhanced horizontal gradients of temperature, Fronts are high-gradient zones; therefore most salinity, density, nutrients and other properties objective computer-based approaches to front (Belkin, 2003). Fronts and the associated currents identification are based on gradient computations. The play important roles in heat and salt transport, ocean- approach used in this study is based on histogram atmosphere interaction and ecosystem functioning. analysis. Since a front isa boundary between two Four principal mechanisms have been suggested in relatively uniform water masses, histograms of any the literature that can generate fronts in the Okhotsk